The University of Toledo

Provenance: The records of the International Chemical Workers Union Local 901 were donated and conveyed to the Ward M. Canaday Center on October 1, 1992.

Access: Open

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Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns. Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code. The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.

Note: This historical sketch is for the International union, not Local 901.

Founded in 1944, the International Chemical Workers Union is one of the youngest unions in the United States and Canada, with a membership of almost 90,000. The growth of the chemical industry itself is of recent origin, having attained the status of one of our most important industries as a result of WWI. Prior to this time, a large number of important chemicals were imported from Germany whose products were cut off by the British blockade during the War, thereby forcing the United States and Canada to develop their own sources of supply.

The first national organizational effort began in April 1940, when the American Federation of Labor (A.F.L.) gave this assignment to one of its staff organizers, H. A. Bradley. His first job was to establish a council of chemical worker unions throughout the United States. The International Council of Chemical and Allied Industries Union was formed on September 7, 1940, with Bradley as president.

On September 11, 1944, AFL President William Green chartered the Council as the International Chemical Workers Union (I.C.W.U.) at the convention in Cleveland, Ohio. H. A. Bradley was elected president. With 199 local unions and 30,000 members, the ICWU was born.

By 1947, membership in the ICWU had climbed to over 50,000. In 1948 the International Union acquired its own headquarters building in Akron, Ohio. The staff had expanded to thirty-eight organizers, a research director, and a legal counsel.

During the 1968 convention, President Walter L. Mitchell died - ending his almost thirteen-year tenure as International President. On September 26, 1968, Vice-president Thomas E. Boyle was elected as the new International President by his fellow officers on the International Board.

In April 1996, after several years of declining membership, delegates to a special Merger Convention voted unanimously to merge with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. In July of 1996, the merger became official and the Union became the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC).

Scope and Content Note

The International Chemical Workers Union Local 901 Records contains seven series. These series consist of the following: Correspondence, Financial Documents, Interests, Legal Documents, Printed Material, Proceedings, and Reports. The final box, Box 14, consists of closed documents concerning ICWU Local 901 grievances. Researchers wishing to use this box of records must agree to sign a confidentiality agreement before access will be granted.

The Correspondence Series, arranged chronologically and also topically, range in dates from 1937, before the Union was officially founded, to 1989. The correspondence covers Local 901 and Local 16, both Toledo locals, as well correspondence received from national president of the ICWUC, Frank D. Martino.

Arranged topically, the Financial Documents Series, contains receipts, bills, and records of expenses from Local 901 functions, annual financial reports, and information regarding the union dues. The dates of this information range from 1964 to 1988.

The Crusade of Mercy: Cooperative Campaign (n.d.) and the United Way (1988) files combine to form the Interests Series. The contents provide information about the charitable activities of the local.

Arranged topically and then chronologically, contracts and agreements provide a bulk of the information in the Legal Documents Series with files such as Contract Demands, Contract Proposals and Negotiations, and the Negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Ranging in date from 1957 to 1988, documents concerning the union constitution and its by-laws also can be found in this series.

The Printed Materials Series contains the largest amount of material in this collection. Subseries include: Educational Instruction, Employment Benefits, Employment Policies, and Job Descriptions. Many newsletters, pamphlets, manuals, and news clipping can be found in this series. Some specific files of interest may be the Area Wage Survey (1982), the Official Publications of ICWU (1972-1983), Seniority Rosters (1957-1985), and Wage and Salary Information (1953-1986). This information, which can be found in Boxes 3-8, is arranged topically and then chronologically.

Meeting minutes provide a substantial quantity of the Proceedings Series. Minutes from Contract Negotiations Meetings (1957-1988), the DuPont Employees Association (1940-1960), the Toledo Works Council (1935-1939), and Union Management Meetings (1943-1989) are housed within this series. Also there are proceedings for miscellaneous conferences and conventions, such as DuPont Conferences and the ICWU Constitutional Conventions. All information is arranged topically and then chronologically.

The last series, Reports, consist almost entirely of the sub-series Union Labor Reports. These reports range in subject, from the Steward’s Guide to Shop Problems to the Contents and Texts of Labor Laws. Also of interest may be the Report on the U.S. Economy and Chemical Industry (1976, 1982-1983, 1987-1988). The reports are all arranged first by topic and then by date.